Wrexham ace opens up on broken club promise and Ryan Reynolds text that surprised him

Josh Windass has revealed how he lost faith in Sheffield Wednesday bosses before walking away to join Wrexham. The forward was amongst 13 fresh faces recruited by Red Dragons boss Phil Parkinson this summer following a five-year stint at Hillsborough.

Wrexham managed to snap up the 31-year-old, son of Hull City icon Dean Windass, without paying a fee after the Owls repeatedly failed to pay wages on schedule. Windass decided to trigger a clause allowing him to tear up his contract amid the club's continuing financial woes.

The Welsh side, backed by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, swiftly moved to secure his signature on a three-year deal following their promotion to the Championship earlier this year. The ex-Rangers man, who scored 53 goals in 182 outings for Wednesday, has now disclosed how his exit was partially sparked by a broken contractual pledge after accepting reduced wages.

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Windass also shared details of the warm reception he's enjoyed from Wrexham's celebrity co-owners.

Speaking to The Star, he said: "I had a conversation in the January about it (a new contract at Wednesday). When I signed my contract last summer, I took a bit of a pay cut because the season before I had an injury.

"That was on the terms that if I was playing a lot and scoring goals, I would be offered a new contract. For whatever reason that never materialised and so I lost the trust behind that plan.

"The word was broken, so I just carried on playing and did my job. I knew from then that at the end of that season it was time to leave. I did my job and gave it everything but that promise was broken. I decided to move on and I'm delighted to be here [at Wrexham] now."

Windass featured in Wrexham's opening two Championship fixtures this term, netting from the spot during the first half of their 2-1 loss at Southampton. But the attacker was subsequently ruled out with a hamstring problem after being taken off in their 3-2 home defeat to West Brom.

While frustrated by the injury blow, Windass lifted the lid on how his spirits were raised after receiving messages from Reynolds and Mac. Alongside heaping praise on the Hollywood duo, he also spoke about his eagerness to help them realise their dream of taking Wrexham into the Premier League.

"They're great guys," said Windass. "They both sent me a little text after I got injured, which is a nice touch. They're really personal and you wouldn't think Ryan Reynolds is Ryan Reynolds when you speak to him, he's just the nicest guy.

"They ask about my family and stuff, nothing about football, they're just genuine fellas. They've been winning non-stop for three years and now to get here where the next step is the promised land as they say. If I can do that it would be great.

"I've been trying to do that in the last few years with Wednesday but obviously it wasn't to be. I've come here and there's a group that has had so many millions on them to give it a crack, that's what I'm here for."

Wrexham manager Parkinson revealed this week that he's hopeful of having Windass back in top form and ready for selection after the international break. The Red Dragons are set to take on Queens Park Rangers at home on Saturday in their next match.

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